California Department of Public Health: Sunset of Temporary Licenses

The Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulations and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) contains a sunset clause for temporary license applications (BPC section 26050.1). This means that the three state cannabis authorities cannot issue or extend temporary licenses after December 31, 2018. Active temporary licenses will remain in effect until their expiration date.

Temporary license applications for cannabis manufacturing can take up to several weeks to process, so we recommend that you submit your application by December 1, 2018.

How we process temporary license applications:

What does this mean for you?

If you are a prospective applicant:

If you are ready to conduct cannabis manufacturing in the near future and have received local authorization, submit your temporary license application by December 1, 2018.

If you do not qualify for a temporary license or you are not yet ready to apply, you will still be able to apply for an annual license.

If you currently hold a temporary license:

Submit your annual license application if you have not yet done so. If your temporary license expires before the end of 2018, the only way to qualify for an extension is to submit a complete annual license application.

If you have already submitted your annual license application, it is important that you respond to inquiries from our staff in a timely manner so we have the information needed to evaluate and process your annual license application.

Temporary license extensions will not be issued after December 31, 2018. If your temporary license expires after that date, the only way to continue operating is to receive an annual license.

The California Department of Public Health’s Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch (MCSB) will continue to process temporary license applications and extensions until the end of the year when our authority to do so expires.

MAUCRSA requires everyone operating in the commercial cannabis market to hold a state license and to work only with other licensed businesses (BPC section 26038). If your temporary license expires and you do not yet have an annual license, you must cease operations until you receive a valid state license.

About the Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch:

The California Department of Public Health’s Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch (MCSB) is one of three state cannabis authorities charged with licensing and regulating commercial cannabis activity in California. MCSB regulates all commercial cannabis manufacturing in the state and strives to protect public health by ensuring commercial cannabis manufacturers operate safe, sanitary workplaces and produce products that are free of contaminants, meet product guidelines and are properly packaged and labeled.